From the first edition of the US Open in 1968 until the turn of the century, it was common for major tennis tournaments in the United States to include at least one American in a Grand Slam final.
However, for two decades, the opposite has been happening.
If American tennis fans feel like it’s been a long time since an American has won the men’s singles title at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, they’re right. The drought has lasted 21 years, and Andy Roddick was the last American to win the men’s singles tournament at the US Open.
However, a number of Americans are in good position to end that streak in 2024, including Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz.
Here’s everything you need to know about the history of the U.S. men’s team at the U.S. Open since the country’s last Grand Slam triumph:
Last American to win US Open men’s singles title
American tennis fans have to go back more than two decades to find the last American to win the US Open.
Andy Roddick is the last American champion to win a major tournament in the United States, and that was in 2003. He entered the US Open that year as the No. 4 seed, and rallied in the semifinals to come from two sets down to defeat No. 13 David Nalbandian, securing a spot in the final of a major tournament for the first time in his life. He faced No. 3 Juan Carlos Ferrero in the 2003 final.
Roddick beat the Spaniard in three sets to win his first career Grand Slam. Victory at the 2003 US Open was a milestone for the 21-year-old, who finished the year ranked No. 1 in the world.
The last American to reach the US Open final
Roddick is not only the last American to win a US Open, but he is also the only one to have reached a major tournament final.
In 2006, Roddick, who was ranked No. 9, reached the final of the U.S. Open. It was the seventh time in eight years that at least one American was one of the final two men standing at Flushing Meadows, as Roddick faced No. 1 Roger Federer.
The Swiss was not denied his third consecutive US Open title, however, as he beat Roddick in four sets. Federer went on to win two more US Opens in a row, extending his run to five, before it was ended in 2009.
No American has reached the final since 2006, but the United States is assured of doing so in 2024 with the meeting between Tiafoe and Fritz in the semifinals.
The last American to reach the US Open semi-finals
You don’t have to go back very far to see the last time an American reached the semifinals of the US Open. It was last year, at the 2023 tournament.
Ben Shelton, who was unseeded heading into the 2023 US Open, had a stellar run last year in his home country, pulling off a string of upsets to become one of just four players left in the major tournament. However, his magical run petered out in the semi-finals, as he lost in three straight sets to world No. 2 Novak Djokovic.
The Serb then won his fourth US Open title and his 24th major men’s singles tournament.
